Volume 10, Issue 067 - April 4, 2006

Hello ,

Make sure you make a copy of the Zinfandel Sauce recipe in the first offering today.

With nearly 100 full-color photographs and helpful step-by-step instructions and preparation tips, GRILLING transports the home cook to far-away places such as Mexico with Baja-Style Fish Tacos; then to Jamaica for Jerked Pork Chops.

Cross the Atlantic and enjoy the flavors of Greece with Spicy Lamb Kebabs, the exotic flavors of the Middle East with Grilled Honey-Spiced Chicken and Pakistani-Style Lamb Patties, Tandoori-Style Chicken with Yogurt Masala, and Grilled Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane. There are also plenty of recipes found in backyards across the United States.

Enjoy!

chefshots.com Amazing Photography of Food and Restaurant scenes. Assignment and Stock. Check out the video and much more from Eric Futran.

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Huckleberry-Zinfandel Sauce

The wood adds a lot of flavor to fish as you cook it. For variety, you can use hickory, mesquite, or even fruit tree wood, like apple or cherry. The planks don't last forever, but you should be able to get more than one cooking session from them. You may be able to find smaller, thinner planks that are perfect for individual servings. The sauce we suggest here is a classic brown sauce finished with wild huckleberries.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 pound salmon fillet
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cedar planks, soaked overnight
2 cups Zinfandel Sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup huckleberries

Preparation:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a light coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed. Clean the cooking grate.

Clean, dry, and trim the salmon to remove any remaining belly bones or pin bones. Cut the salmon into 8 equal pieces and then season with the salt and pepper.

Place 4 salmon fillets on each soaked cedar plank and place the planks on the grill. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Combine the Zinfandel Sauce with the huckleberries.

Serve the salmon with 1/4 cup of sauce per portion.

Zinfandel Sauce

This is one instance when making your own broth from rich meaty beef or veal bones that you have roasted before simmering makes a world of difference. Most canned broths are too salty once you have reduced them to a sauce consistency. The quality of the wine is paramount to the flavor of the sauce too, so don't skimp.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup medium-dice carrot
1/2 cup medium-dice yellow onion
1/4 cup medium-dice celery
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1-1/2 cups Zinfandel wine
8 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
6 parsley stems
1 thyme sprig
1 garlic clove
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onions and sauté until the onions are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the celery and continue to sauté until the celery is tender, another 8 minutes.

Immediately stir in the tomato paste and cook until the mixture takes on a rust color, about 4 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer until reduced by half.

Add the broth, bay leaf, parsley stems, thyme and garlic and simmer until the sauce is just thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm until ready to use.

Grilled Belgian Endive

The sweet and sour flavors from the vinegar, soy sauce and chili sauce are a brilliant counterpoint to Belgian endives pleasantly bitter taste.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sweet-and-sour chili sauce
1/2 cup sake or water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fine-grated ginger
3/4 cup thin-sliced scallions
3 tablespoons minced garlic
8 heads Belgian endive, cleaned and quartered

Preparation:

Mix together the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, chili sauce, sake or water, olive oil, ginger, scallions and garlic to make a marinade.

Place the endive in the marinade and toss to coat. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to high. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a light coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed. Clean the cooking grate.

Grill the endive on a perforated grilling pan over the hottest part of the grill with the lid of the grill closed, rotating the pan frequently so that the endive leaves get only slightly charred, about 10 minutes.

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Grilled Pound Cake with Coffee Ganache

Any good-quality pound cake will work in this recipe, but the cake recipe we give below makes a dense cake that slices neatly and stands up perfectly to the grill. Adding the ganache and either whipped cream or ice cream adds the perfect amount of flavor and moisture for an outstanding dessert from the grill.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Cake, sliced 1 inch thick (recipe follows)
1 cup Coffee Ganache (recipe follows)
1 cup whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
1 cup coarse-chopped toasted hazelnuts

Preparation:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a light coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed. Clean the cooking grate.

Grill the Pound Cake slices until well marked on both sides of each slice and the cake is warmed throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Serve the grilled cake topped with the Coffee Ganache, whipped cream or ice cream and toasted hazelnuts.

Pound Cake

If you are making your pound cake in a 4-1/2 or 5-quart mixer, this quantity of batter fits in the bowl easily, so, you may as well make 2 cakes! Then you can freeze 1 to have on hand for later.

Makes 2 cakes

Ingredients:

4-1/2 cups cake flour
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups softened butter
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch loaf pans by spraying them lightly with cooking spray,or lining them with parchment paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar by hand or using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until very smooth and light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs in 4 separate additions, scraping down the bowl between each addition and mixing until very smooth.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture by hand or on low speed until the batter is evenly blended. Do not overmix.

Fill the prepared loaf pans 2/3 full (or measure out 2 pounds of batter into each prepared loaf pan for the most even distribution). Bake until a skewer inserted near the center of a cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Cut the cake into slices and serve, or wrap and store whole cakes in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Coffee Ganache

You can cut this recipe in half if you prefer, but ganache keeps well in the refrigerator, so we have made a big batch so you can keep this sauce on hand to use whenever you like, even if you don't have the grill on.

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons powdered instant espresso
1/4 cup boiling water
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2-2/3 cups finely chopped dark chocolate

Preparation:

Stir together the instant espresso and boiling water until smooth. Set aside.

Combine the cream and the corn syrup in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the espresso. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let sit, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is very smooth.

Keep warm until ready to use, or let cool to room temperature and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat chilled sauce over very low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm enough to pour easily.

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